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Let's not forget who to blame for this. Pharmaceutical companies and Doctors. It's almost certainly not true. This massive susceptibility to addiction is a la

by blfr 9y ago

Let's not forget who to blame for this. Pharmaceutical companies and Doctors. It's almost certainly not true. This massive susceptibility to addiction is a larger social problem of alienation, lack of community and purpose, not getting a couple of pills from your doctor. Prohibition worked to some extent and would work tried again but it does not address the root problem.

nxsynonym 9y ago
>>not getting a couple of pills from your doctor. You're gonna have to back that claim up. All the evidence points to the claim that over-prescribing is a real epidemic. You're not wrong that there are larger social problems, but your argument essential boils down to "drugs addicts are drug addicts". The root problem is not being born a heroin addict, or not having a purpose in life, or not having a strong community. It's over prescribed pain medication pushed onto people for profits sake. "Sales of prescription opioids in the U.S. nearly quadrupled from 1999 to 2014,1 but there has not been an overall change in the amount of pain Americans report.2,3 During this time period, prescription opioid overdose deaths increased similarly." https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/prescribing.html https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/prescribing.html
- blfr 9y ago
  It's a famous story/finding. Vietnam soldiers who were actively addicted to heroin and came back to the States simply stopped. http://jamesclear.com/heroin-habits http://jamesclear.com/heroin-habits Obviously you can only become addicted to what is available and opiates are being made available through prescription. But the fact that so many people are susceptible to addiction is a completely different problem. The huge social changes of 19th century led to the same problem with alcohol. And well meaning activists did try to solve it by banning alcohol. Prohibition did work to some extent. But what really made a difference was an improvement in people's lives, a change in the environment for the better: more rooted, connected communities, less financial stress, migrant work, etc. Drug addicts are addicts because of their environment first and drugs second. (Some genetic disposition exists as well, of course.)
123e1daAdfafsdf 9y ago
It almost certainly is true. Doctors in the US overprescribe opioids like you wouldn't believe. They do this as a result of Purdue Pharma's super expensive marketing campaign designed to stamp out "opiphobia" -- a term they used for doctors unwilling to write out opiate scripts. As a side benefit, they re-engineered the "slow release" version of the tablet. Except it didn't release evenly over 12 hours, like it said. Instead, it led to withdrawals towards the end of the period, which taught a user's brain the ups and downs of withdrawal -> high -> withdrawal. IE, it conditioned them to become addicted.
snarf21 9y ago
Not attacking you but do you think cigarette companies are liable for smoking addiction? My biggest problem with Pharma on this is that Oxy is 100x (?) more likely to get someone addicted than Tylenol 3 with Codeine or maybe even Morphine. I think part of selling Oxy should be a mandatory tax that goes to pay for opioid addiction.
- amigoingtodie 9y ago
  A tax on who? The taxpayers that are paying for Medicaid to pay the drug companies? Healthcare in America is disgustingly perverse.
  - snarf21 9y ago
    No, I meant treat it like casinos are. A tax on revenue that specifically goes to pay for addiction.
ThrustVectoring 9y ago
When you instruct people to wait 12 hours between taking painkillers that last 8, you will reliably get them addicted to painkillers. The on/off whipsaw of the medication will do that. Sure, the social ills exacerbate the problem. But a lot of it is pure physiology.

by blfr 9y ago

nxsynonym 9y ago

>>not getting a couple of pills from your doctor. You're gonna have to back that claim up. All the evidence points to the claim that over-prescribing is a real epidemic. You're not wrong that there are larger social problems, but your argument essential boils down to "drugs addicts are drug addicts". The root problem is not being born a heroin addict, or not having a purpose in life, or not having a strong community. It's over prescribed pain medication pushed onto people for profits sake. "Sales of prescription opioids in the U.S. nearly quadrupled from 1999 to 2014,1 but there has not been an overall change in the amount of pain Americans report.2,3 During this time period, prescription opioid overdose deaths increased similarly." https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/prescribing.html https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/prescribing.html

blfr 9y ago
It's a famous story/finding. Vietnam soldiers who were actively addicted to heroin and came back to the States simply stopped. http://jamesclear.com/heroin-habits http://jamesclear.com/heroin-habits Obviously you can only become addicted to what is available and opiates are being made available through prescription. But the fact that so many people are susceptible to addiction is a completely different problem. The huge social changes of 19th century led to the same problem with alcohol. And well meaning activists did try to solve it by banning alcohol. Prohibition did work to some extent. But what really made a difference was an improvement in people's lives, a change in the environment for the better: more rooted, connected communities, less financial stress, migrant work, etc. Drug addicts are addicts because of their environment first and drugs second. (Some genetic disposition exists as well, of course.)

123e1daAdfafsdf 9y ago

It almost certainly is true. Doctors in the US overprescribe opioids like you wouldn't believe. They do this as a result of Purdue Pharma's super expensive marketing campaign designed to stamp out "opiphobia" -- a term they used for doctors unwilling to write out opiate scripts. As a side benefit, they re-engineered the "slow release" version of the tablet. Except it didn't release evenly over 12 hours, like it said. Instead, it led to withdrawals towards the end of the period, which taught a user's brain the ups and downs of withdrawal -> high -> withdrawal. IE, it conditioned them to become addicted.

snarf21 9y ago

Not attacking you but do you think cigarette companies are liable for smoking addiction? My biggest problem with Pharma on this is that Oxy is 100x (?) more likely to get someone addicted than Tylenol 3 with Codeine or maybe even Morphine. I think part of selling Oxy should be a mandatory tax that goes to pay for opioid addiction.

amigoingtodie 9y ago
A tax on who? The taxpayers that are paying for Medicaid to pay the drug companies? Healthcare in America is disgustingly perverse.
- snarf21 9y ago
  No, I meant treat it like casinos are. A tax on revenue that specifically goes to pay for addiction.

ThrustVectoring 9y ago

When you instruct people to wait 12 hours between taking painkillers that last 8, you will reliably get them addicted to painkillers. The on/off whipsaw of the medication will do that. Sure, the social ills exacerbate the problem. But a lot of it is pure physiology.